Turnout concerns loom large for French presidential election frontrunners

The official campaign posters of France's presidential election candidates are displayed at France Affichage Plus, the logistical centre from which thousands of the posters will be dispatched across the country, in Mitry-Mory, near Paris, on March 21, 2022. © Julien de Rosa, AFP

With just over two weeks to go until the April 10 first round of France's presidential election, candidates and experts alike are flagging the threat of historically low voter turnout after a race eclipsed by the war in Ukraine.

Observers differ on just how serious low turnout could prove in this race – and on which candidates could suffer most from voters staying home.